


Exercise in Futility

by CosmicTurnabout



Series: the night, and the dream, were long [1]
Category: Zero Escape (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:02:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24411028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmicTurnabout/pseuds/CosmicTurnabout
Summary: Loneliness and grief can make people do things they otherwise would not. Sometimes.
Relationships: Diana/Sigma Klim, Kurashiki Akane/Tenmyouji Junpei, Sigma Klim/Kurashiki Akane
Series: the night, and the dream, were long [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1762843
Kudos: 8





	Exercise in Futility

**Author's Note:**

> So begins my series of vignettes about life on Rhizome-9. Expect lots of angst and maybe a few other surprises along the way. Hope y'all enjoy!

Eight months after she died, Akane came to him.

She found him crying in the newly-built bar; the B-Garden was too fresh, too painful for him after laying Diana down to rest.

Hand on his shoulder. A long hug. Patting his back, which turned into nuzzling his neck. He allowed it. She pulled back a bit, eyes shimmering. He saw something there, a reflection of himself. It made him curious.

He followed her to one of the beds in the crew quarters. He wasn't sure why; he supposed it was better to do something other than weep with a glass in his hand.

He laid down next to her, trembling. She was equally nervous it seemed, eyes alight with uncertainty.

Both of them understood what they were trying to do. Would this be enough, at least for now? Could they recreate an artificial paradise within something already artificial? He was so broken; maybe this betrayal would be better than nothing.

His lips pressed against hers, seeking an opening. She let him in, slowly, wrapping her arms around his neck. For a few seconds, at least, he wasn't completely numb. Her hands stroked his body, but stopped at a certain point, hesitating at his waistline.

Then she pulled away, seeming to sense something, and shook her head at him with pursed lips. He paused for a moment, then nodded. The numbness returned.

_No. This was not enough. This would never be enough._

Like wrapping one strip of gauze around a gaping stomach wound and hoping that it would heal. Akane knew it was not even worth it to go further. Sigma agreed. They had both seen different people when they had closed their eyes. But moments of weakness could make you forget.

From then on, any time they touched was rote, calculated. As impersonal as possible.


End file.
